by steve phillips
article written in january 1998
published in "sadness is in the sky magazine" issue 5

The man who has been Sebadoh in one form or another, forever, is Lou Barlow. He, once Dinosaur Jnr bass player, and sidekick Jason Lowenstein and Bob Fay are now the crux, the core of Sebadoh. They’ve now become so famous they even get interviewed in Rolling Stone Magazine, just like ‘real’ bands like REM and Pearl Jam. What follows is a brief elevatory view of all Sebadoh’s LP’s to 1997, and exactly how they may be of interest to the uninitiated.

(1996) HARMACY-19 tracks. SubPop Records.

Most recent Sebadoh album contains many a fine tune, tracks to enjoy in your car or in your friends lounge room with an air guitar! The coolest tracks here may well be ‘Prince-s’, the slow, grindy ‘Worst Thing’, the very punchy ‘Mind Reader’ and the ‘jump around the room’ of ‘Hillbilly 11’. ‘Harmacy’ really appears to landmark Jason Lowenstein’s songwriting strength as he provides 9 of the 19 tracks here. Previously, it was very much Lou Barlow who ‘held the reins’ in terms of Sebadoh’s musical leanings.

(1994) BAKESALE-15 tracks. SubPop Records.

Possibly Sebadoh’s most musically consistent release to date. At times emotionally dark and moody as opposed to the more jovial air on ‘Harmacy’. A number of Barlow tracks previously recorded acoustically (Rebound, Not A Friend, Mystery Man) pop up in their full electric glory here. Check out the awesome ‘Careful’ and ‘Skull’ which was Sebadoh’s first minor radio hit in the USA & Australia. Each track is a classic in itself, but the pure moments of bliss are the bitter ‘Not Too Amused’, the sweet ‘Got It’ and the downright glorious ‘Together Or Alone’. Brilliant!

(1993) BUBBLE AND SCRAPE- 17 tracks. SubPop Records.

A pivotal album for Lou Barlow, containing some of the most perfectly depressing and relative songs ever. Two tracks, ‘2 Years 2 Days’ & ‘Soul And Fire’ relating directly to the break-up of his relationship with his long-time girlfriend/muse Kathleen, were enough to get them back together when Sebadoh played the songs live. The album spirals and winds like a tornado, due in part to the strong influence of former member Eric Gaffney whose often chaotic and deeply troubled and emotional songs move from lo-fi gem to pieces resembling Burroughs cut-ups played straight. All 17 tracks offer raw beauty and some recollect loss and confusion, but brilliance is personified by: ‘2 Years 2 Days’, ‘Happily Divided’, ‘Sister’, ‘Emma Get Wild’, ‘Homemade’, ‘16’ and the delicate ‘Think(Let Tomorrow Bee)’. Awesome point at which to discover Sebadoh, and available locally for below $20!!!

(1992) SMASH YOUR HEAD ON THE PUNK ROCK- 12 tracks. SubPop Records.

A compilation of two Sebadoh records, ‘Rockin’ the Forest’ and ‘.....Vs Helmet’. This too is a good a place as any to experience the full (and the diverse) Sebadoh fix. Crazy edge ragged guitar soaked moments like ‘Crisis’ by Eric Gaffney is a massive attack. The revelation of ‘Brand New Love’ is Lou’s piece de resistance here. His track ‘Good Things’ is also very cool and hopefilled, but it’s the covers, ‘Everybody’s Been Burned’ by Crosby, Stills & Nash and Nick Drake’s ‘Pink Moon’ which Sebadoh produce with such style that they make them their own. Also available locally for below $20.

(1991) SEBADOH 111- 23 tracks. Homestead Records.

The first Sebadoh LP I ever heard after reading about them in the UK’s ‘Melody Maker’ magazine. ‘Sebadoh 111’ attempts no self explanation musically but does lyrical, discussing female admiration and confusion, getting stoned and being down. To me, this album contains some of the most awesome pop based songs written to date and was the icing on the cake of the title ‘lo-fi’ with it’s indifferent recording techniques. Each track has a personality of its own. Favourite tracks must be, the sparse ‘Truly Great Thing’, The Minutemen’s ‘Sickles & Hammers’, ‘Total Peace’, the country wheat of ‘Hoppin’ Up & Down’, the frenzied ‘God Told Me’ and the most beautiful, ache beyond words of ‘Spoiled’(Also on the ‘Kids’ movie soundtrack). An unadulterated work of brilliance!!!

(1990) THE FREED WEED- 43 tracks. Homestead Records.

Brings together two cassette releases on one CD, including tracks recorded as far back as 1981. Very stripped down sound, mostly recorded to 2 track, almost fully acoustic. Contains some of the most bare instrumentation and profound lyrics of any Sebadoh LP, including the wonderfully insecure ‘Jealous Of Jesus’(..”everybody wants to dance with Jesus, nobody wants to dance with me”..). The riotous cover of The Beatles ‘Yellow Submarine’ and a track once covered by Superchunk ‘It’s So Hard To Fall In Love’ are to be found here, as well as the very fine ‘More Simple’ and the bedtime sucre ‘Mr Genius Eyes’. Not for those who like their music technically precise or sounding state of the art, but ‘The Freed Weed’ is a great insight into the bare heart of a songwriters product.

As the Sebadoh catalogue is filled with a variety of other LP length EP’s and side projects like the Folk Implosion and Sentridoh, I have chosen only to list actual Sebadoh LP releases. But I think it’s worth adding that the best album to which a member of Sebadoh loaned his hand is Palace Music’s ‘Viva Last Blues’ LP of 1995. Jason Lowenstein drums up a feast and it is highly recommended.

For further Sebadoh information, contact Warner Music/SubPop Records or check out the Sebadoh websites on the Internet.